Shannon and Eric, back from their Caribbean honeymoon, visited the studio to preview their images for the first time today, so now it's safe to share them all with you. There's so much to tell about this amazing couple, this beautiful day and a most spectacular wedding to kick off my wedding season. Settle in. I got a little carried away.

Shannon and Eric learned about emilie inc. through mutual friends and squeezed in a visit to the studio last year in their sweats between studying for med school exams. We share a love of Cape Cod, a place Shannon's family vacationed every summer as a child, dogs, volunteering and fortunately, an appreciation for great photography.

How they met, in Shannon's words:Technically, Eric and I first met on the first day of orientation for medical school. We quickly became friends and as the year went on, we spent a lot of time together studying, commiserating, doing fun stuff and volunteering. One day, as we were leaving the school where we mentored two 5th graders, one of the kids ran out after us to the parking lot. He yelled out: "Are you guys going out?" We said, "...out to the parking lot!" and he said, "Well, you should!!" It was right around then we started to realize that it might actually be possible to fall in love with your best friend!

So sweet!

Both Eric and Shannon are commissioned officers in the Navy and are attending medical school on a Navy scholarship, hence Eric's sharp Navy uniform. Shannon wore a garter that's old, blue, and borrowed- it belonged to her grandmother (grandfather was in the Navy), and then her aunt wore it (uncle was in the Navy). In just a few weeks these two are heading south, stationed in Norfolk for the next four years. So it was an emotional day on many levels.

Their wedding day was warm and sunny, at times it even seemed almost too warm for April! No complaints, of course, as it rained buckets the next day. J and I made a weekend of it, as it was also our first wedding anniversary (seriously, where has the time gone?!). Shannon and Eric presented us with a bottle of champagne and dedicated a song to us at their reception. Adorable.

I love the Cape for many reasons, most of which stem from vacationing there as a kid and now, as an adult, as the setting for my Roots Workshop each July. It was a destination for many of Shannon and Eric's guests, who all marveled at the quaintness and beauty surrounding us. The Popponesset Inn in Mashpee is one of my favorite locations, situated literally right among the dunes at the ocean's edge. And with an early afternoon ceremony, we had pretty daylight for nearly the entire reception as well.

Preview their beautiful day in this album design, or click here to open in a new window.

Congratulations, Shannon and Eric, and best wishes for the next chapter in your lives with your move to Norfolk! Big hugs!